Engine-priming device



Apr. 10, 1923. 1,450,929

F'. D. SWEET ENGINE PRIMING DEVICE Filed Mar. 9, 1918 O @f l.

Patented. l0, i923..

lfrtlfiiilltfll FREDERICK D. SWEET, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG'NOR TO INSTANT HOT PRIMER COMPANY, A PARTNERSHIP COEIPRISING FREDERICK D. SWEET AND HENRY GROMBACHEB, OIF-CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ENGINE-'BREWING DEVICE.

Application filed March 9, 1918. Serial No. 221,393.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, FREDERICK D. SWEET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Engine-Priming Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a device which .10 is adapted for use in connection with an internal combustion engine, more particularly an internal combustion engine which forms a part of a motor vehicle.

rIhe purpose and object of the invention is to provide a device which will inject a quantity of hot liquid fuel into the cylinders of an engine at the time of starting, thereby to provide in the cylinders an ignitible priming mixture which will enable the engine to be started with ease.

A further purpose of the invention is to so mount the device upon the motor vehicle v that the same shall easily be accessible from the seat of the driverof the car.

Generally speaking, the invention may be said to comprise the elements and combinations thereof set forth in the accompanying claim. l

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which Fig. 1 is an elevation with portions in section showing the application of the device of my invention to a motor vehicle and the engine thereof; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the device; Fig. 3 is an elevation with portions in section of a portion of the device; and Fig. i is a sectional elevation of a portion of the device.

At the time of starting an internal combustion engine, particularly when the engine is cold, it is diiiicult to secure an ignition in the cylinders of the engine because of this cold condition of the engine.

Heretofore it has been the common practice to introduce fuel into the cylinders of the engine by means of priming cups and analogous devices. All of such devices with which I am familiar, have been located upon vthe engine itself and have in most instances required the operator to lift the hood so as to gain access to the priming cups in the operation of priming.

In the device forming my invention, the operating portions of the device are located upon the dash-board of the motor vehicle or in some other convenient place so that a charge of liquid fuel may be delivered to the cylinders of the engine without the necessity of the driver leaving` his seat.

Referring to Fig. 1, the engine cf the mctor vehicle is indicated at 1, and has the usual manifold 2. Attached to the manifold is a coupling member in the present instance an elbow 8, which at its lower end has a jet 4. This jet may, if desired, have a restricted opening` so that the liquid fuel passing' through the same into the manifold may be injected or jetted thereby producing a spray of iiuid fuel which is more easily ignited than a body of fuel.

Secured to the coupling member 3 is a pipe section 5. rllhis pipe section is made of material which is electrically an insulating material for purposes which will later appear.

Secured to the pipe 5 is a conducting` pipe (E which is secured to a fuel dispensing container 7. In the present instance the iiuid dispensing container is a pump, but it is entirely possible to utilize my invention without necessarily employing a pump. rllherefore, a pump is but one form, which the container 7 may be made to assume.

rThe member T at one end thereof is formed with an outlet passage 8 which communi- Cates with the pipe 6. The passage 8 communicates with the chamber 9 of the member 7, and within this chamber there is located a piston 10 which is operated by means'cf a piston rod 11 which terminates in a handle 12 by which the piston is operated.

lVithin the chamber 9 there is a spring 13 which normally presses the piston 1() toward the extreme end of the chamber 9 and in operating the piston 10, the pistonis moved against the action of the spring,

which spring subsequently returns the piston to the end of the chamber 9.

In the body of the member 7 there is also a passage ld which communica-tes with an exterior pipe 15, this pipe being preferably connected with the gasoline system of the motor vehicle so that when the piston l0 is operated, a supply of fluid fuel will be drawn into the chamber 9, and subsequently forced out through the passageway 8 to the pipe G.

In order to effect this operation I employ a check valve. 16, located in the passageway l/l, and a check valve i7 located in the passageway S. As will be seen from the drawing, these check valves operate in such fashion that as the piston l() is withdrawn from the position shown in Fig. 3. fluid fuel will be sucked past the check valve 16 into the chamber 9, and when the piston 10 moves, returns to the position shown in Fig'. 8. The fluid fuel which is within the chamber 9 is expelled through the passageway S past the check valve 17.

Within the pipe 5 there is a wire 18. rl`his wire is made of material which is more or less resistant to the passage of the electric current through the same, so that as current is caused to pass through the wire, the wire becomes heated and the heat thus produced is absorbed by the fluid fuel passino through the conduit 5 around the wire 18.

W'hile I have shown the heatingelement 18 as a single wire, it will be apparent that other forms than that here shown may be used with equal facility.

The electrical element I8 at one end bears against the pipe 6, which pipe is of a metal substance and a conductor of electricity. At the opposite end the element 1S is connected and attached to t-he member 3 which is also of metal, which is a conductor of electricity.

Inasmuch as the member 3 is connected to the manifold 2. it will be apparent that the wire 18 is in electrical connect-ion with the metallic parts of the motor vehicle or grounded.

Adjacent one end of the member 7 there is an insulated block member 20 which carries a contact 2l, and a contact 22. rlhese contacts are spaced from each other so that normally there is no passage of current between them. The contact 2l is by a suitably insulated electrical conductor 22. connected with the electrical system which forms a part of every motor vehicle, while the contact 22 is grounded with respect to the member '7 which is of metal as is also the stem of the contact member 25 so that there is a path for an electric current from the contact 22 through the body of member 7 through pipe 6 to the wire 1S.

Mounted upon the member 7 is a conical shaped contact member 24. This contact member has a stem 25 which is surrounded by a. spring 26. The stem 25 is guided in it movement through an opening in a membe 27 mounted upon the member 7. The rod 2: extends through the contac 2st and throug'l an opening,` in the flange or extension 7@ formed upon the body 7. rlhe rod 25 is at its end formed with an extension or ring-life portion 28 which encircles the rod Il and is beneath the handle or operating portion l2. rlhe action of the spring` 26 is such as to tend to force the cont-ac member between 'the terminals 2l and 22, but such action is restrained due to the engagement of the portion 28 with the handle l2.

t will be apparent that when the handle l2 is moved outwardly, the action off the spring` 26 will move the contact member 2l into engagement with the terminals 2l and 22, thereby closing,` an electric circuit through the wire 18 which will generate heat in a manner which will be well understood.

It will also be clear that in pulling` the handle 1 2 outwardly, the chamber 9 will become filled with fluid fuel, and when the Handle 12 is released, the action of the springy i3 will be to cause the expulsion of the fluid fuel through the pipe 6, the conduit 5. the member 3, and so into the manifold of the engine, and as the fluid fuel passes through the conduit 5 it will become heated so that upon its delivery to the manifold of the engine it is in highly heated condition, and therefore in better condition to ignite.

The contact 24: has but a limited movement, as will be apparent, and therefore the contact remains in engagement with the terminals 2l and 22 until the handle l2 has substantially returned to its initial position when the engagement of the handle with the portion 28 of the stem 25 pushes the contact 24C out of engagement with the terminals 2l and 22, thereby breaking the electric circuit through the wire I8.

As shown in the drawing, the member I is mounted upon the dashboard of the motor vehicle, the flange 7a serving as a means by which the member 7 may be thus attached.

Having described my invention, I claim:

The combination with an internal combustion engine, of a receptacle adapted to contain fluid fuel, a movable member controlling the passage of fuel from said receptacle, means forreturning the movable member to its initial position after being` moved, a conduit connecting' the receptacle with the engine, a portion of said conduit'being ccmposed of electric-ally non-conducting` material, a heating element within the said nonconducting` portion of a conduit, the ends of said heating` element being connected with the Conduit upon either side of the nonconducting' portion, a switch controlling the passage of current through the conduit, and

the heating element, Said switch being spring circuit through the heating element, the pressed and having a portion Which engages movement of the movable member to its in- With the aforesaid movable member whereby itial position moving the switch to inoper- 10 the switch is held in non-operative position ative position.

5 under normal conditions, the movement of In testimony whereof7 l hereunto alx my the movable member permitting the switch signature.

to move to operative position to close the FREDERICK D. SWEET. 

